Official MLBlog of the Kansas City Royals front office.

Results tagged ‘ Alcides Escobar ’

The Royals have announced that shortstop Alcides Escobar was selected as the 2012 Joe Burke Special Achievement Award winner. The award was voted on by the Kansas City Chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA). The Joe Burke is awarded to an unsung player who contributed above and beyond what was expected, or someone who the writers felt deserved some recognition for an outstanding season.

Escobar had a breakout offensive season in 2012, his second with Kansas City after being acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers on December 19, 2010. The 25-year old set career highs with a .293 average, 177 hits, 30 doubles, five home runs, 52 RBI, and 35 stolen bases. The 177 hits were 13 more than the previous single-season mark for a Royals shortstop. His .293 average ranked second to New York’s Derek Jeter among MLB shortstops and was the third-highest single-season mark at the position by a Royal. Escobar’s 35 stolen bases ranked fifth in the American League and were the most by a Royals player since 2003. He became the first infielder in franchise history to post at least 30 doubles and 30 steals in the same season and the first Royal to accomplish the feat since Carlos Beltran in 2002. Escobar’s first career multi-homer game on July 14 vs. Chicago was the first by a Royals shortstop since 1997.

The Royals plan to announce the 2012 Bruce Rice Pitcher of the Year tomorrow and the 2012 Les Milgram Player of the Year on Wednesday, November 7. Both awards will be revealed at noon CT.

The Royals have announced that the club has agreed to terms on 2011 Major League contracts with right-handed pitchers Henry Barrera, Kevin Pucetas and Kanekoa Texeira, left-handed pitcher Everett Teaford, catcher Lucas May, and infielders Mike Aviles and Alcides Escobar. Consistent with club policy, terms of the contracts were not disclosed.

The 29-year-old Aviles hit .304 for the Royals in 2010 with 16 doubles, three triples, eight home runs, 32 RBI and 63 runs scored. The career .298 hitter in 248 Major League contests was the Royals’ seventh-round selection in the 2003 Draft.

Escobar, 24, was acquired along with pitchers Jeremy Jeffress and Jake Odorizzi, and outfielder Lorenzo Cain in the six-player deal that sent pitcher Zack Greinke and infielder Yuniesky Betancourt to Milwaukee on December 19, 2010. The shortstop batted .235 with 10 triples and 10 stolen bases in his first full season in the Major Leagues last year.

The 26-year-old May was acquired by the Royals from the Los Angeles Dodgers along with pitcher Elisaul Pimentel in exchange for outfielder Scott Podsednik on July 28, 2010. The catcher picked up his first action in the Majors in September for Kansas City, hitting .189 in 12 games.

Texeira, 25, was 1-0 with a 4.64 ERA in 27 relief appearances for the Royals in 2010 after being claimed on Outright Waivers from the Seattle Mariners on June 3. The 6-foot-2 native of Hawaii missed the final month of the season with a right elbow strain.

The 25-year-old Barrera returned in 2010 from Tommy John surgery pitching at both Wilmington (High A) and Northwest Arkansas (AA). The Royals’ fifth-round pick in 2004 was 3-1 for the Naturals with a 1.80 ERA in 16 relief appearances, covering 25.0 innings.

Pucetas, 26, was acquired by the Royals from the San Francisco Giants on October 14, 2010 as the player to be named in the trade that sent outfielder Jose Guillen to the Giants on August 13, 2010. The 6-foot-4 right-hander spent the entire 2010 campaign with Fresno (AAA) posting a 5-7 record with a 5.69 ERA in 26 starts.

The 26-year-old Teaford was the 2010 Northwest Arkansas Pitcher of the Year after compiling a 14-3 record with a 3.36 ERA in 27 appearances (12 starts). The southpaw, who was added to the Royals’ 40-man roster this offseason, led the Texas League in victories. Teaford wrapped up his strong 2010 by going 1-0 with a 2.00 ERA in two starts for Team USA at the Pan American Games Qualifying Tournament in Puerto Rico.

The Royals announced today that the club has acquired shortstop Alcides Escobar, outfielder Lorenzo Cain, and right-handed pitchers Jake Odorizzi and Jeremy Jeffress from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for right-handed pitcher Zack Greinke, shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt and cash considerations.

Escboar, whose first name is pronounced “al-SEE-dees”, turned 24 last Thursday and spent his first full Major League season in 2010 with Milwaukee as the club’s shortstop. The 6-foot-1, 182-pounder hit .235 (119-for-506) with 14 doubles, 10 triples, four home runs, 41 RBI and 57 runs scored. The 10 triples ranked tied for third in the National League and set a new franchise rookie record. The right-handed hitter and thrower also stole 10 bases in 14 attempts. Escobar entered the 2010 campaign rated by Baseball America as the top prospect in the Brewers organization and the number 12 overall prospect in baseball by the same publication. He was a career .293 hitter with 176 stolen bases in 647 minor league games since being signed by Milwaukee as a non-drafted free agent on July 9, 2003. Born in La Sabana, Venezuela, Escobar now resides in Vargas, Venezuela, with his daughter, Gabriela.

The 24-year-old Cain got his first taste of big league action last season, hitting .306 with 11 doubles, one triple, one home run, 13 RBI and 17 runs scored in 43 games for the Brewers. Appearing mostly in center field, the 6-foot-2, 192-pound Cain also added seven stolen bases in eight attempts. The right-handed hitter and thrower opened 2010 with Huntsville (AA), batting .324 in 62 games and would have started the Southern League All-Star Game had he not been promoted to Nashville (AAA). The speedster has hit .291 in 584 minor league contests with 124 stolen bases in 159 attempts. Selected by Milwaukee in the 17th round in 2004 out of Tallahassee Community College, Cain was born in Valdosta, Ga., but currently calls Madison, Fla., home.

Odorizzi (oh-duh-RIZZ-ee), 20, earned Brewers’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2010 after compiling a 7-3 record with a 3.43 ERA in 23 appearances (20 starts) for Wisconsin (A) in the Midwest League. The 6-foot-2, 175-pound right-hander allowed just 99 hits in 120.2 innings, walking 40 and striking out 135, pacing the circuit with 10.1 strikeouts per nine innings. Odorizzi was recently rated by Baseball America as the eighth-best prospect in the talent-rich Midwest League. The Highland, Ill., native was drafted in 2008 by the Brewers in the supplemental first round (32nd overall) following a senior season at Highland High in which he was named Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year. Odorizzi turned down a scholarship offer from the University of Louisville to play both baseball and football to sign with the Brewers.

The 23-year-old Jeffress (JEFF-ress) pitched at four levels in the Brewers system last season, including making 10 relief appearances for Milwaukee in the final month. The 6-foot, 190-pound right-hander was 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA for the Brewers in 10.0 innings. He finished up 2010 by making 10 relief appearances for Surprise in the Arizona Fall League, posting a 3.09 ERA and striking out 14 in 11.2 innings, also striking out a pair in a scoreless inning at the AFL Rising Stars Game. Jeffress also made stops in 2010 with Wisconsin (A), Brevard County (A Advanced) and Huntsville (AA). The South Boston, Va., native earned Brewers’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2008 when he struck out 115 in 94.0 combined innings for Brevard County and Huntsville. Jeffress was selected by Milwaukee in the first round (16th overall) in 2006 out of Halifax County (Va.) High School.

Greinke, 27, was the Royals first-round pick (6th overall) in the 2002 Draft and has posted a 60-67 career mark since his debut in 2004. The right-hander followed up his 2009 Cy Young campaign by going 10-14 with a 4.17 ERA in 33 starts in 2010. Greinke leaves Kansas City seventh on the franchise list with 931 strikeouts, eighth with 169 starts, ninth with 67 losses and 10th with 1,108.0 innings pitched.

The 28-year-old Betancourt hit .259 with career-highs in home runs (16) and RBI (78) last season. The shortstop was acquired by the Royals on July 10, 2009 from the Mariners in exchange for two minor league pitchers.

Escobar, Cain and Jeffress were added to the Royals 40-man roster while Odorizzi was assigned to the Wilmington (A Adavanced) roster. In addition, the Royals designated infielder Joaquin Arias for assignment to bring the Major League roster to 40.

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